10 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. [8] 



The naturalists were employed in the laboratory until September 2, 

 when at 11.10 we left the harbor and steamed to No Man's Land. A 

 party was sent on shore to examine a reported rock formation, but 

 nothing of the kind was found. Five hauls of the dredge were made in 

 this vicinity, and at 3.35 started for port, arriving at G.07 p. m. 



At 9.30 a. m., September C, the United States steamer Despatch, hav- 

 ing on board the President of the United States, and accompanied by 

 the Fish Commission steamer Lookout, arrived in the harbor. At merid- 

 ian we left the harbor with the President, Professor Baird, and others 

 on board. To show the former the manner of working the various 

 apparatus, three hauls of the trawl and dredge were made in Menemsha 

 Bight. We reached port at 5.55 p. m., when the President returned to 

 the Despatch. At 5 the next morning the Despatch, with the President 

 on board, got under way and left the harbor. 



At 3.30 j>. m. on the 7th we left for an offshore trip. From 8 to 9 p. 

 m. we were steaming through a school of fish. They were first sighted 

 about 12 miles to the southward of No Man's Land. At daylight the 

 following morning the coast-survey steamer Blake was sighted. 



At 6 o'clock cast the trawl in 176 fathoms, latitude 39° 40' N., longi- 

 tude 71° 52' W. Eight hauls of the trawl were made during the day be- 

 tween this position and latitude 39° 33' N. longitude 72° 06' W., the 

 depth varying from 168 to 452 fathoms. During the last haul the trawl 

 net parted from the frame and was lost. The cause was an overload of 

 blue mud which would not wash through and tore the net from the 

 frame. 



At 7.30 p. m. started for port, arriving at 10.35 the following morn- 

 ing. 



On the 11th we steamed to New Bedford and coaled ship. The 

 weather was cloudy and rainy during the morning, ending with a fresh 

 gale from the southeast to east. On the 13th we returned to Wood's 

 Holl. 



We were detained in port by unfavorable weather until 5 p. m. on 

 October 3, when we left for an off-shore trip. 



At 6.45 the next morning a fishing party left the ship and set a trawl 

 line in 99 fathoms, latitude 40° N., longitude 70° 37' W., for the purpose 

 of taking tile-fish. 



At 0.30 cast the trawl in 140 fathoms, latitude 39° 58' N., longitude 

 70O 37' W. 



At 2 p. m. the fishing party returned on board, having taken a large 

 number of hake, skate, and other species, but no tile-fish. Over these 

 grounds where they had been invariably taken before we found no 

 trace of them during the present season. Six hauls of the trawl were 

 made during the day between the position given above and latitude 39° 

 52' N., longitude 70° 30' W., the depth varying from 115 to 554 fathoms. 



At 6 p. m. stated for port, arriving there at 6 a. m. on the 6th. This 



